So, here we are the moment many of you Junkies have been waiting for: I got fired!

I am pretty sure before I even arrived it was determined that I was going home early. As anyone who watched the first of this season saw, head coach Junior Dos Santos said I was here to help run the practices and be his eyes and ears. None of the coaches spoke comfortably in English, and they relied upon me to be the communicator.

I knew it was Team JDS, but they forgot the team’s wrestling coach and translator, and I stepped in to help. As soon as Junior’s “real” coaches arrived, my days were numbered. I think Junior was just waiting for the opportunity to let me know.

As this episode opens, it shows me contradicting Junior. But that did not happen the way it was shown. I was merely answering a question that was asked of me from a couple of the guys. I did not just sit there and correct Junior.

Like I said, I think it was predetermined that I would exit when Junior’s boxing coach (“his trusted advisor”) and his strength-and-conditioning coach arrived. They needed a room, and I was the only outsider on his coaching staff.

According to Junior, my exit was due to asking him the night before if I could go early to help Zach Davis with his weight since he was so frequently the heaviest fighter. Junior had said yes, that I could go.

I told fellow assistant coach Billy Scheibe what was going on, and he said he “thought it was a good idea.” So when I got up to head over to the house, I was told Zach was “OK” by the producers and it would be hard to bring separate camera crews. So they recommended I not go.

It was then I was told that we couldn’t see the guys unless there was a camera present and production was ready (which makes sense). I didn’t know that, though, and if they said he was OK, I felt it was not worth it to get an extra camera crew.

Junior said he wanted to head over later in the day. I went to the hotel and waited to go with Junior and the other coaches. They never went, so in my mind, it was no big deal.

The training days went by, and I just hung with the guys and let the coaches coach. I was being isolated from the training sessions since the previous week. I felt the best thing I could do was to just be available to the guys who had a need for me and do whatever Junior asked of me.

But then Junior told the guys not to give me attention and seemed pissed and after a five-minute discussion. Assistant coach Luiz Dorea decided it was time for me to leave, and Junior executed his orders.

If you watch the discussion between Junior and me, you will notice I asked, “Did I do everything you asked of me?” And Junior said “Yes.” His said his reasoning was, “It was confusing and the vibe was bad.” But he did not offer much in terms of reasons.

The vibe in the gym had been good. The guys were happy, and we were winning. As you saw, the fighters and I were joking around and enjoying ourselves.

In one sentence Junior said he was asking me to leave because I tried to go to the fight house and that it was “disrespectful.” Then he said he was asking me to leave because the vibe was bad and things were confusing. Neither Junior nor Dorea asked the most important people (the fighters) how they felt. It was simply what JDS and Dorea wanted.

Then Junior told the fighters I left on my own free will. So I guess I can see why Junior is confused. It was because I left on my own free will. It was confusing and a bad vibe (even though we were having fun and winning). Or was it because I aksed him if I should go to the hosue to check on Zach, and he said yes?

Who knows? He surely wasn’t able to explain it to me. Essentially he told me I did everything he asked, and I was fired.

I read the comments here, and I know a lot of you think I was out of line. I am sure many of you will be happy now that I am not on the show anymore. I was asked to come and help him communicate and help run practices. I am not a “world class” wrestling coach or wrestler. I was asked by a friend (Ed Soares) to help out, and I did everything I was asked (as Junior acknowledged to be the fact).

I love coaching, and much like a drill sergeant has to prepare his soldiers for battle, that is what I do. If you know me (Ed surely does) or asked around, you would know what you are getting. I have no regrets other than I was not able to stay until the end to help our guys see their dream become a reality.

Back in the hotel room, I called my manager, and he told me he would reach out to Ed and the producers to see what if anything could be done. But Junior and his guys were telling me they needed my room and that I had to go.

I had put my life on hold for them, and they could not get me out of the building fast enough. Junior is not a nice guy. He was great when he needed me, but as soon as he had another option, he could not seperate from me fast enough. I would not have taken a temporary or part-time coaching gig.

My manager said he reached Ed and that Ed said he was “surprised” and would talk to Junior. The next morning, the producers called my manager and me and informed us that it was entirely Junior’s choice and that his decision was made and final. They asked me where I wanted my plane ticket to take me.

Regardless of how you view me, I really do want to thank you all for coming back every week and reading and commenting. I really do appreciate the feedback, both positive and negative. In the end, it will make me a better coach, fighter and person.

I am honored to be blogging for you guys. I will learn from this. Here is a quote my manager sent me today I think it applies to me and my time on the show: “People will hate you, rate you, shake you, and break you. How STRONG you stand is what makes you.”

Team Lesnar specifics

Brock Lesnar’s team seemed not to have a lot of respect for him. Maybe it was the coaching style or the limited time in the cage.

His coaches were very experienced, and Brock’s limited fighting experience had been at the highest levels (and used in some of the biggest events in the UFC’s history).

But somewhere along the lines there was a disconnect. Maybe it was the whole chicken s*#t comment. He had talented guys, but they seemed to rebel against him internally.

According to our team, they never really spoke highly of the training sessions or what was being shown to them.

After watching the show, I can honestly say that Chuck O’Neil was the best decision for the wild-card spot. Chuck was focused and really wanted to be there, based on what we saw. And most importantly, he had no injures.

He wasn’t bringing down any of the guys and always stayed positive. He was there for the team as well as himself. Len Bentley, on the the other, was talked about differently by the guys, though everyone respected his abilities.

Team Santos coaching

I was no longer part of the coaching staff. It was clear that after being there a few days, Junior’s boxing coach was running the show.

Even though I was fired on that specific day, I essentially had been removed from the process many days before. Dorea has a great take on striking for MMA. I mean, look at the guys he has produced. Junior has some of the fastest hands and footwork in the heavyweight division. He probably would have been there from the start had he not been getting Anderson Silva ready.

Who was I to complain about a guy like that taking over?

I honestly would have been like every other assistant coach from “TUF” had it not been for the language barrier. Even our team commented on not having anyone in the corner they could understand

When the evaluations and almost all the preliminary bouts were completed, Junior had put me on the front line to handle these things. There was no time spent with the guys building a relationship for coach Dorea. The time it takes for JDS to translate everything Dorea wants could be time training or working on different skills. You have to think if he was with Dorea working on something when his attention was diverted from the other guys. Junior had Dorea running things then, though.

Zach vs. Chuck matchup

This was a great matchup for us, I thought. Both guys were tall and used Brazilian jiu-jitsu as their primary weapon of choice. I knew how good Zach was on the ground and at taking instructions.

But I didn’t know what Chuck was bringing to the table exactly.

Zach was one of the most lighthearted guys on the team. He made training bearable with his good nature and all-around great disposition. He was a joy to work with because he would do whatever you wanted. He believed in what you were saying. He always worked hard and looked for new things to add to his game.

His lesser strength was open wrestling, including taking someone down in an open space. We worked on his cage work and clinch work. He could use his length to control positions through leverage and take the fights to the ground.

Zach on the ground is a problem for most guys. He has a good active guard with smooth transitions. His striking was not bad once he let his hands go, but he had issues with gauging distance at times.

Meanwhile, I got to meet Chuck in the house. He was very funny and sociable, always cracking jokes. I thought that was an indication that he was confident and secure about himself.

Despite not knowing his skill level, I though it seemed he had it together upstairs. He had a decent record that indicated he was good on the ground, and his build corresponded with that. He got along well with everyone in the house (except Chris Cope), so I knew he was there to fight.

Zach vs. Chuck outcome

The fight was back and forth for the most part with Zach controlling the clinch. Chuck was game and not rolling over for Zach.

I personally thought their jiu jitsu would cancel out and that it would become a positioning and striking battle.

Once Zach hit his back, that active guard of his started working. He put Chuck in a tight triangle choke, which is Chuck’s signature move. That made the loss even harder for Chuck to swallow.

That win helped push us a 4-2 edge.

Justin Edwards vs. Tony Ferguson matchup

Justin was a sparkplug!

He pushed to exhaustion every workout and never got down about anything. He had a big heart and a ton of fight in that heart. He was powerful and hit hard. He had a great ability to scramble and push the pace. He used strong takedowns frequently in training.

I just had problems controlling his tempo. He is explosive and needed to attack in spots.

I watched Tony during evaluations. I thought his wrestling was OK but loose, meaning he wasn’t a very controlling Matt Hughes or Jon Fitch-style wrestler.

It was hard to tell if he had power in his hands, but he threw a lot and stayed calm. I thought he was more of a counter-fighter. All in all, I thought he was better than a good portion of the guys in a few areas. He was a well-mannered, level-headed guy when I talked with him at the house. He seemed very focused on winning.
Justin Edwards vs. Tony Ferguson outcome

The fight started off with Justin being very aggressive and coming at Tony. He was really pressing and staying in Tony’s face.

Tony was taking his time, it seemed, and waiting for Justin to settle down a bit. Justin scored a takedown, which Tony eventually got up from.

Justin began to slow down a tad but still stayed aggressive. Tony then began landing good shots off the counter. Justin shot in again to regain momentum. Justin then began to work from the top and stood to his feet while in Tony’s striking range.

Tony threw an upkick that sent Justin to the canvas. And the fight was over.

Being that was the first time I saw these fights, they were both very hard to watch.

From Our Partners

The Latest

UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey is probably the greatest female fighter on the planet, which is a tremendous feat. So why are we seemingly so obsessed with arguing about whether she could beat up men?